One Sees Clearly Only With the Heart
by yesknopemaybe
Summary: Lizzie Bennet at Pemberley (LBD universe)
1. Arrival

_A quick note about the housesitting logistics. In my headcannon, Team Figi told Dr. Gardiner to tell Lizzie she would be housesitting for a friend named Georgie, but not to go into much detail since she might back out if she knew more. And then Lizzie, excited and nervous for Pemberley didn't think to find out the nitty gritty details. A little bit of a stretch, but necessary for the rest of my headcannon to fall in place :)_

* * *

As Lizzie pulled up to the house she would be living in for the next few weeks, she couldn't help but let out a low whistle and mutter, "Wait until Charlotte sees this place." The huge house was situated at the very top of one of San Francisco's numerous hills and in the distance she could just make out the Golden Gate Bridge peeking up through the fog.

It took some effort, but she managed to collect her luggage from the trunk and make her way to the impressive wrought iron door. Using the key Dr. Gardiner had given her, she opened the door and then punched in the alarm code. Her breath caught in her throat as she took in her surroundings. She was standing in a large entryway with parquet flooring that she couldn't stop herself from noticing would be perfect for sock sliding. Directly across from her was a large spiral staircase, to her right she could see a beautiful sitting room with a grand piano, and to her left was a formal dining room. She glanced down at the entryway table and an envelope with her name written on it caught her eye. She opened it and pulled out the contents. On the first sheet of paper was a handwritten note.

_Lizzie,_

_Please make yourself at home. I had the first bedroom on the second floor (directly across from the entertainment room) made up for you. The other pages in this envelope contain instructions for various things like setting the house alarm and using the rooftop jacuzzi. I also included the housekeeper's schedule and the number for our chef in case you want to do any entertaining. Give me a call if you have any questions!_

_GD_

Lizzie's mind boggled at the thought of having a housekeeper or calling up a chef and having him prepare food for a dinner party. Who are these people? It was like living with Bing and Caroline all over again. Only this time she was in the city and living on her own. She could definitely get used to living here.

By the time she finished unpacking, it was getting late. As much as she wanted to go exploring, she decided it would be better to leave that until tomorrow. She felt butterflies in her stomach at the thought of Pemberley Digital. Charlotte had done her best to reassure Lizzie after informing her why that name had seemed so familiar. Darcy was always out of town. And even if he wasn't, it was a big company. It wasn't very likely that a lowly intern would run into the CEO unless she sought him out. Plus, she would enjoy seeing Fitz again.

Just to be put her mind at ease, she decided to do some Twitter stalking. Although, she wasn't sure she could really call it stalking if Darcy was already following her. She hadn't been to his Twitter profile since November when he had first started following her. And from the looks of it, she hadn't missed much. Luckily, earlier that day he had decided to grace the internet with a photo of downtown Tokyo. She breathed a sigh of relief. It looked like she wouldn't be having any awkward run-ins with Darcy at work tomorrow after all.

As she powered down her laptop and settled into bed, her eyes glanced over at the corner bookshelf. A slim volume caught her attention and she pulled it onto her lap. It was a hand-illustrated copy of The Little Prince, one of her favorite books. She opened it with care and read the inscription written in elegant handwriting on the first page.

_To my dearest William,_

_May you always see clearly with your heart._

_Love always,_

_Mom_

_1996_

She traced her fingers over the letters and then started in on the novella. She kept getting distracted by the detailed illustrations and had barely made it a quarter of the way through before she put the book aside and nodded off to sleep.


	2. First Day

_Another writer, Aeternamente, named Fitz's boyfriend Jordan and it kind of stuck with me._

* * *

"Lizzie B!" Fitz's voice rang through Lizzie's new office. "A bunch of people from my department are going out for drinks and dinner at a cool place a few blocks from here. You should come with us and meet some new people. Plus, Jordan will be meeting us. He got really excited when he heard you were coming back into town."

"I was planning on exploring my new home, but I suppose that can wait. It _would _be nice to make some new friends. And see Jordan again," she added with a smile. "Just give me a minute to round up my things."

"Speaking of my new home, have I told you about the incredible place I'm house sitting? It's kind of unbelievable."

Fitz's eyes twinkled with amusement as he replied. "No, but I want to hear all about it. Don't leave anything out."

She grabbed her jacket and purse and they made their way down to the street. As they walked, she filled him in on the things she had learned about the house. "The place is huge and gorgeous. The decor is beautiful, but not in an in-your-face sort of way. You can just tell everything is well-made and looks perfectly at ease in the space it occupies. Apparently, there's a rooftop patio with jacuzzi, a small theater in the basement, and don't get me started on the amazing kitchen. I felt like I was on a cooking show as I was making breakfast this morning. They even have a housekeeper and offered to let me use their personal chef if I wanted to have people over."

Fitz laughed. "You should definitely take them up on that offer. Jordan and I would _love _to be your dinner guests."

"I bet you would," Lizzie chuckled. "I just hope there's a well-stocked library. A house that size must have one somewhere."

"Be careful Lizzie B, if you get too attached to your new place, you might never want to leave," Fitz joked as his eyebrows wiggled suggestively.

"I'll let you know if I'm in danger of that after I find the library," she responded with mock seriousness. "I _do _think it might be fun to stay in San Francisco after I graduate though. Especially with such good friends already living in the area."

"What did you think of Pemberley Digital? How did your first day go?"

Lizzie's face lit up as she described her day in detail. "Honestly I can't believe this place exists. Everyone seems so happy to be doing work they clearly love and to be at a company with such a great support system." Lizzie flushed as she added, "My viewers are going to be besides themselves when they find out who runs Pemberley."

"Lizzie B, I think you're _seriously _underestimating your viewers if you think most of them haven't already googled the company and spread the word about Darcy. They sure are..." Fitz paused as he searched for the perfect word. "Dedicated."

They both laughed.

"That's one word for it. They do seem to be pretty fixated on Darcy don't they?" Hesitantly she added, "I will admit I was a little bit taken aback when I kept hearing people praise Darcy today. It almost seemed like an act at first, but I kind of doubt that many people would worry about impressing a random intern..." Her voice trailed off. "In some ways, I do think I may have misjudged his character."

"Well, I'll be the first to say that he doesn't always make a good first impression."

"That's an understatement," Lizzie interjected.

"But," Fitz responded, "Deep down, he really is the best friend anyone could ask for. He might be too shy to tell you himself, but I know that he took your objections in October to heart and has been working on bettering himself ever since."

Her eyes darted away in embarrassment.

"Promise me if you two cross paths during your stay, you'll give him a chance to redeem himself?"

Her eyes swung back to him, the shock evident on her face.

"Not like that!" He sheepishly clarified, "I meant a second chance to be your friend."

She slowly nodded in assent and then they were interrupted by Fitz's phone.

"Hey Jordan! Yeah we're almost there. Just across the street. See you in a second." He turned to Lizzie, "You're going to love this place. The margaritas are to die for."


	3. Intruder

Lizzie let herself inside and felt herself sway slightly from the momentum of the door. Perhaps that last margarita had been one too many. But still, it had been fun to let loose a little tonight and make some new friends. It was convenient to be in the city, living so close to downtown and not having to worry about driving. Or staying sober enough to keep Lydia out of trouble.

The long day had taken it's toll. Her muscles were weary and she could feel the beginnings of a headache as she trudged up the spiral staircase to her room. Maybe an early bedtime would keep a full fledged headache at bay. She took some Advil, changed her clothes, and curled up underneath her downy comforter. Within minutes, she was asleep.

* * *

She awoke with a start. Had she dreamed that creaking noise? Stay cool, she told herself. This house wasn't exactly new. Old houses always make weird noises. The creaking started again and this time Lizzie wasn't half asleep. There was definitely someone upstairs. Had she locked the front door when she came home? She couldn't remember everything clearly, but she was pretty sure she hadn't. And the housekeeper wasn't due until tomorrow.

She crept to her door, quietly moving through the doorway and down the hall towards the stairs. She listened, hoping against hope that her imagination had been playing tricks on her. Her heart began racing as she realized the intruder was coming down the stairs and if she didn't move quickly, she'd soon be eye to eye with whoever it was. She leapt through the closest doorway and found herself in the entertainment room. Why hadn't she grabbed her cell phone before creeping into the hallway? With no way to call for help and unsure of the house's other escape routes, she would have to hide. She grabbed a pool cue from the wall and made herself small behind one of the couches.

Minutes went by without a sound. Maybe she could risk running across the hall to her room? She decided her phone was worth the risk. Pool cue in hand, she stealthily edged her way back to the door. Before opening it, she took a deep breath and readied herself. But just as she moved her hand to grab the handle, the door opened and her eyes registered the tall figure in front of her, lurking in darkness of the hallway. An involuntary scream escaped from her mouth and she reflexively whacked the person in front of her.

"Ow! What the hell?"

He flicked the lights on and Lizzie gasped when she saw Darcy standing before her, wearing low slung pajama pants. She could see a bruise beginning to form on one side of his bare torso.

"Darcy?! What are you doing here? I could have killed you!"

"With a pool cue? I seriously doubt it. But I think the question is what are _you _doing here? This is _my _home after all."

She looked as flustered as he felt.

With some effort she was able to string together a few coherent sentences. "Your home? And you didn't know I was here? Dr. Gardiner told me I was house sitting for her friend Georgie." Her face flushed as the confusion and embarrassment set in.

"Ah," Darcy replied with a sense of understanding. "I think we've been set up by my sister, Gigi. Although, I'm not sure if she could have pulled this off without help," he mused. "I strongly suspect our friend Fitz may have had been involved."

This is so surreal, Lizzie thought. Her face was on fire and her mouth felt like it was full of cotton. She was too stunned by the situation to offer him any reply. What must he think of her? Why had Fitz put her in this situation? She had intruded upon his personal space and then assaulted him. Her eyes traveled down his chest, taking in the territory around his growing bruise. His eyes followed hers and he suddenly realized he was half naked.

"Please excuse me, Lizzie."

As soon as he had disappeared up the stairs, she ran to her room and started pulling out her suitcases. Charlotte would understand her sudden need for a place to stay.


	4. The Library

Darcy was flustered, but he tried to calm himself down. Back in the safety of his room, he searched for something respectable to wear and fired off a text to Fitz. "I think I found your... surprise. Some warning would have been nice. Things did not go well."

As he pulled on a pair of trousers, his phone beeped at him. "It wouldn't have been a surprise if I had given you warning. Define 'did not go well.'"

He sat down on the edge of the bed and typed a reply. "She thought I was an intruder and tried to maim me with a pool cue. She seemed uneasy when she found out this was my home."

"Well go make her feel at home. Let her see that you can be a friendly dude. The real you."

His phone beeped again. "PS - If all else fails, show her the library."

He quickly tucked in his shirt and put on some suspenders. As he left his room to search for Lizzie, he repeated the phrase "show her you can be friendly" to himself. He found her in her room throwing clothes into open suitcases and listening intently to someone on her cell phone.

He knocked on her door and she stammered, "Charlotte, I have to go. I'll call you back when I'm on my way over."

She tossed her phone onto the bedspread and forced herself to look Darcy in the eyes even though she burned with embarrassment. "Darcy, I am so sorry. I would never have agreed to house sit if I had known. You have an amazing home, but it was never my intention to intrude or make you uncomfortable by staying here."

His voice faltered, but he quickly recovered. "You weren't thinking of leaving were you? An intrusion by you could never be unpleasant." He flushed a little at that last thought, but he was glad he had said it. It was the truth. "Besides, it would be a welcome change to see someone making good use of the house. Gigi only comes home from Stanford sporadically and I'm always out of town on business."

"Well..." Lizzie's voice trailed off awkwardly. She couldn't help but feel that her staying here would be awkward for Darcy, regardless of what he might profess otherwise. Wouldn't he be forced to think about all the awful things she had called him in her videos? Why was he even being so friendly to her now?

Wanting to make her more at ease with the idea, Darcy thought of Fitz's advice. "Lizzie, at least do me the honor of letting me show you around. Have you explored the library yet?"

She was reluctant, but her curiosity got the better of her. "No, but I admit, I have been wanting to explore. Everything has been such a blur since I got here."

"Follow me then. I think you're going to love it. It's one of Gigi's favorite haunts."

A few minutes and several flights of stairs later, they were both standing in a large room that managed to be spacious and cozy at the same time. Large windows looked over the bay and Lizzie could imagine light streaming through them during the daytime, lighting up the room and it's various alcoves. There were cushy sofas surrounding a large fireplace and several desks and tables throughout the space. The floor-to-ceiling shelves were stuffed with every kind of book imaginable. In a couple of the corners, she noticed there were staircases leading to cozy loft spaces and more book-filled shelves. She ran her fingers lightly along a row of old hardbound books as she searched for something to say that would adequately describe how she felt.

Before she could think of something, Darcy spoke with eager anticipation, "Do you approve of it?"

"Approve of it? I would be crazy not to. This is the most beautiful library I've ever seen. I could live here forever." The words escaped her lips before she realized how they could be construed. Her face and neck turned red, but Darcy didn't seem to notice.

"You are welcome to spend as much time here as you please." Darcy hesitated, but then added, "At least consider staying here until you've had a chance to meet Gigi. My sister would not forgive me if you left before then. She is a big fan of your videos."

A big fan of her videos? Lizzie wondered if she had been watching the right channel. She did admit to herself that she was curious to meet the girl who Fitz had recommended so highly and had helped conspire with him to set up this house sitting situation. Plus, the beautiful library would make up for any awkwardness between Darcy and herself.

"Sure. I'd love to meet Gigi," she replied with a smile that made Darcy's pulse quicken.


End file.
